Fife business leader warns vaccine passports could be ‘economic deterrent’

The call from Fife Chamber of Commerce comes days after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect that vaccine certificates may be required for entry to nightclubs and many large events in Scotland from later this month - a move which met with criticism from the hospitality sector.

Now the Chamber has called for clarity before passports are brought into force.

Alan Mitchell, chief executive, said: “Throughout the pandemic, businesses in Fife have worked tirelessly to keep their clients, customers and employees safe and even today many are going beyond what is legally required of them to slow transmission and keep case numbers down.

“The economy is now finally beginning to recover but it is a fragile recovery, and many businesses continue to operate in survival mode.”He said consumer and business confidence “will be damaged by continued warnings from the Scottish Government that restrictions could be re-introduced.”And he added: “The prospect of economic deterrents, such as vaccine certificates, being introduced will exacerbate that, especially if it is not justified by data and will have no discernible impact on Covid rates.

“The Scottish Government can allay that fear by the simple act of releasing the data that conclusively shows that vaccine certificates will be effective in controlling Covid transmission. It should do so before even considering enacting this policy.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FFP/V